Apple continuously works on improving its technology and providing better services to their users. Currently, Apple is researching the methods of determining how users usually wear headphones, so that they can improve the touch gesture control.
The present headphones by Apple come with physical buttons that might interrupt you while performing some of the gesture controls. Otherwise, these headphones have a clean design.
Even though gestures can be placed on the touch-friendly surface of headphones for replacing the buttons, the issue lies in ensuring that the users are wearing the headphones conventionally. If the headphones are worn at an angle, then the gestures may not work properly.
The position of the headband of your headphone also matters when you want to use the touch panel-based control. Let’s assume that you have worn the headband on the top of the head first, and then you moved it behind your neck. If it has the touchscreen control, you have to estimate the change in the degree of all the controls. The position of touch control will get changed. So, it is really important to work on this part as everyone has a different way of wearing headphones.
Apple had tried to solve this issue using the sensor. In a patent granted by the Trademark Office and the US patent or USPTO, Apple stated that the orientation of the headphones could be identified easily. Detection of the rotation doesn’t refer to the rotation of headphones. It implies the gesture used with the touch panels on the earcups to control your headphone. Suppose, when you wave one time, the music will start, and the double wave will stop the music.
The granted patent concludes that Apple wants to use a wide variety of sensors that can help you use more gestures for performing several other tasks.
As per the claims, the sensors will be in the user’s earcups. There are chances that Apple’s earcups might have optical sensors, proximity sensors, and structured light sensors.
The patent was filed in January 2020 and issued on February 04, 2020. Its inventors are Jonathan R. Peterson and Brooke L. Bunney. Brooke L. Bunney is a hardware integrator that had worked for other patents of the headphones.
Usually, Apple files several patent applications, and these applications show the area of interest of the company. It also indicates the company’s research and efforts for the development of their product. The patent doesn’t guarantee the availability of the products in the future. So, it’s better to wait for the official launch of these features from Apple.
Mia Watson is an avid technical blogger, a magazine contributor, a publisher of guides at Blogs Book, and a professional cyber security analyst. Through her writing, she aims to educate people about the dangers and threats lurking in the digital world.
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